Anticreeper for rails.



F. A. PRESTON. ANTICBEEPER FOR RAILS. APPLICATION FILED SBPT.19,1912.

1,058,015. P e ed Apr. 1, 1913 i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I. A. PRESTON. ANTIGBBEPER FOB RAILS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1912.

1 ,O58,01 5 Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

I B'HEETHHEET 2.

flaw 2% W UNITED STATES K PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK A. PRESTON, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE P. &M.

' COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ANTICREEPER FOR RAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1913,

' T all whom it may concern ing some adjustment.

the rai Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. Pans- TON, a citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Highland Park, in the county of Lakeand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Anticreepers for Rails, of which the following is a 'full, clear,concise, and exact de scription, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to anti-creepers for rails.

In the various ditl'erent forms of anticreepers now in use, the creepingtendency of the rail is resisted by. virtue of the firm frictional holdof the anti-creeper on the rail, the thrust being transmitted directlyto a cross-tie by some portion of the anticreeper which bears againstsaid tie. As asthe pressure of the anti-creeper agalnst the tiecontinues, the anti-creeper maintains an effective hold on the rail.When the pressure is relieved due to re ction of the rail fromcontraction or fro creeping tendency in the opposite direction, theanti-creeper may loosen, due to vibration of passing trains or toballast which may;

be packed or frozen tightly around the hearing face of anti-creeper andprevent its free movement with the backward movement of rail. Thisvibration or ballast interference may not only loosen the anti-creeperbut may completely disengage it from the rail. To prevent thisobjectionable loosening of the grip of the anti-creeper on the rail,various devices have been provided heretofore for locking theanti-creeper in its most Bf?- fective position of adjustment. Saiddevices in many cases had to be applied. manually after the anti-creeperwas applied to the rail or they required the additional operation ofbending some element or of mak- In other cases, the locking devices werenot equally effective for different adjustments of the anti-creeper orelse they permitted an appreciable readjustmentthereof before becomingeffective.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for locking theanti-creeper in whatever position of effective adjustment it may haveassumed, the said locking occurring automatically when the ant reeper isbein driven to the desired POSltlOIl on In the accompanying drawings, 1have illustrated several embodiments of the invention, which latter may,of course, be embodied in other forms.

The following views are shown in the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of anti-creeper in assembledposition on the rail, which latter is shown in partial sectionalelevation. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with the rail shown indotted outline. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the two parts ofthe anti-creeper shown in the preceding figures. Fig. 4 is a top planview of a second form of anti-creeper in which the automatic lock isarranged at the rear end thereof instead of at the forward end as in thefirst form. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the two parts ofwhich the anti-creeper shown in Fig. 4 is composed. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of a detail. Fig.

7 is a side elevation of a third form of anticreeper, the same beingshown in assembled position on the rail. Fig. 8 is a perspective View ofa detail thereof. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the members ofthis form of anti-creeper, Fig. 10 is a top plan View of a fourth formof anti'creeper.

In the preferred design the anti-creeper is made up of two relativelymovable parts, the larger of which in each of the views of the drawingsmay be called the clip 1, the smaller being known as the mate 2. Theclip is provided with a rail engaging jaw 3 and the mate is providedwith a similar rail engaging j aw 4. The clip is provided with a recessor groove 5 which receives loosely the projection or rib 6 on the mate.One of the vertical walls of said rib engages the adjacent vertical wallof the groove, said walls having sliding engagement with each other in aplane somewhat diagonal with respect to the longitudinal axis of therail as indicated at 7 in the various views. It

will be seen that a relative movement of the clip and the matelongitudinally with respect to the rail will cause the jaws 3 and 4 tobe drawn closer together, thereby firmly tongues are spread apart pin orprojection 12 formed at the forward is then driven on to the oppositeside of the rail base at some distance from the tie and is then driventoward the tie until the rib' (3 is received within the groove 5 and theadjacent vertical walls are brought into engagement with each other, aspreviously explained. The driving of the mate toward the tie iscontinued until the arts have as' sumed about the relative positionsshown in Figs. 2, 4, 7 and 10, at which point the mate can be driven nofarther, as the rail base' at this point is gripped most effectively bythe jaws 3 and 4. \Vhen in this position it will be s en that when therail tends tocreep, both the clip and the mate tend to move therewith.-The forward movement of the .clip' is resisted by the't-ie, however,through the abutting flange 9. Any actual forward movement oft-he mate 4will result in the jaws 3 and 4 beingdrawn closer together, therebyincreasing if possible the effectivenessof the grip on the rail base.

Itwill be seen that a rearward movement of the mate will result in arelaxation of the grip of the jaws on the rail base. @As long as therail tends to creep forward no relaxation can occur. If the rail shouldmove rear- \val'dly due to contraction caused by cold, for example, orreversed trafiic, the pressure of the flange 9 on the tie would berelieved and long continued vibration of the rail mightloosen to agreater or less extent the hold of the anti-creeper onthe rail base. Toprevent such a loosening I provide in the- 35 first form of device apair of forwardly projecting tongues 11 on he mate, which by awedge-shaped endofthe clip, preferably integrally there with, androjecting from the bottom of the recess 5. gaid wedge is so disposedwith respect to the. forward end of the recess that the tongues 11 whenspread apart are extended-a distance greater than the width of said slotand are. brought preferably into positive engagement with the frontvertical j wall of the clip,

as clearly shown in Fig. 2. In this position it will be seen-that arearward movement of the mate is effectually preventedby the tongues 11,which are bent outwardly over the corners-13. Accordeffectively fromwhatever position the mate may c ventually have assun'ied. Furthermorc,if the rail anchor-should be carelessly applied, and the what, the lockwould not mate not driven sufiiciently far, the creeping tendency of therail will cause a further forward movement of said mate, the latterbeing locked against return movementboth in its first position and inits last position. In other words, the mate is locked in any operativeposition, whether in the most effective position or not, and isprevented from a return movement although not necessarily prevented froma further forward movement to amore effective position.

As seen in Fig. 2, the tongues 11, which together with the entire mateare preferably made of malleable iron, project somewhat beyond the frontwall of the clip. They do not project, however, beyond the verticalplane of the tie-abutting flange 9. If the tie should be very irregularin crosssectional outline,'so that the points of the tongues 11 shouldpenetrate the tie somebe rendered. inoperative thereby.

In the second form of anti-creeper, the

locking device is-arranged at the rear. The

- tongues 14 project rearwardly from the clip and the spreaderor wedge15 is formed as a part of the mate. When the mate is driven into theclip,-the spreading of the tongues 14 locks the mate against returnmovement.

In the third form of anti-creeper, the locking means consist of a tonguewhich is deflected in a vertical plane instead of in a horizontal plane.The locking tongue 16 is formed on the mate and is bent downwardly whendriven under the bridge '17 at the forward end of the recess 5. It isobvious that this form of lock'may also be arranged-at. the rear of theanti-creeper.

In the form of device shown in Fig. .10, the tongues 18, instead ofqbeing spread apart, are brought together the mate is; being driveninto the clip. Said tongues encounter the walls or abutments 1.9 and arebent toward each other around thepos't 20, whereby positive engagementwith said post is obtained to a su'tlicient extent to pr'event rearwardmovement of the mate. It is apparent that this form of lock may alsoarranged at the rear of the anti-creeper if-desired.

In-all of the above forms of device, the rail anchor is illustrated asbeing made of two pa Of course the invention is adapted to anyanti-creeperhavdng a plurality of parts, whether two or more.Furthermore, the invention is not limited to the use of twolocking-tongues as a greater or less number may be employed. Neitherisit limited to the. relative arrangement or loca ti-..=.u of saidtongue or tongues with respect to the other parts of the anticreeper. Ingeneral the Qwention is not limited to the particular forms describedand illustrated onto the details thereof-r Instead, I desire to coverbroadly suitable e quival-"u means For accomplishing the desired resultswherver such means fall within the scope of the appended rlaims.

Ilaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and de ire tosecure by Letters Patent ot the I'nited States. is:

1. A rail anchor having a plurality of cooperating parts which increasetheir grip on the rail when moved relatively longitudinally thereof, twoof said parts having sliding engagement beneath the rail base and havin;means which cO-aet to automatically etl'eet positive engagement at anypoint; during: said movement and thereby prevent re turn movement fromany operative rela tive position of said parts.

2. In an anti-cr eper, two members having intertitting portions beneaththe rail base and being relatively movable in a direction substantiallyparallel to the rail, :1

projection on one of said members, and

mean on the other of said members for engaging said projection anddeflecting it with respect to the line of movement of said members.

3. In an antiereeper, two members engaging each other beneath the railbase and being' relatively movable in a direction substantially parallelto the rail, a projection on one of said members, means on the other ofsaid members for engaging said projection and deflecting it with respectto the line of movement of said members, and additional means arrangedso as to be engaged by the deflected projection to prevent a returnmovement of said members.

4. In an :tiwreeper, two relatively movable members. a pair ot subtantially parallel tongues carried by one of said members, and a pair ofinclined walls on the other of said members. said inclined wall bein;

adapted to engage said tongues (luring rela tive movement of saidmembers to vary the angle between said tongues.

5. In an anti-creeper, two relatively mow able member a pair ofsulistantially paral- 1 lel tongues carried by one of said members, apair of inclined walls on the other of sa d members, said inclined wallsbeing adapteu. to engage s aid tongues during 1' *lative move.- ment ofsaid members to vary the angle between said ton 'ues and means engagedbysaid tongues when in deflected position to form a positive lock.

(5. An anti-creeper Com irisinn two mem ber each having a jaw ailaptedto g'ip one of the edges of a rail base, one of said members having aslot. the other of said members having a rib arranged to tit loosely insaid slot, a flexible tongue carried by one of said members, a lockingsurface on the other ot said members. and means for deflecting saidtongu against said locking surface when said members are beingassembled.

T. An anti-creeper comprising members which are movable substantiallyparallel to the axis of the rail, said members having interlocking andwedging engagement beneath the rail base, a pair of tongues carried byone of said members, and cooperating inclined walls carried by the otherof said members whereby movement of said members relatively will deflectsaid tongues lransver ely with respect to the rail.

in witness whereot'. I hereunto subscribe my name this 17th day ofSeptember, A. Di, I912.

FREDERICK A. PRESTON.

Witnesses:

lacsmn \V. Fiuomz, RUBHR'I F. BRACKE.

